Social Income

Many people in wealthier countries are committed to addressing inequality, though they don’t always know how or where to start. The widespread use of mobile phone-based money transfer services in developing countries has also made it easier than ever to send money directly to people in need at almost no cost. Social Income wants to harness this potential by combining two approaches to wealth redistribution. The first is Universal Basic Income, which is a promising path to building a more equal and inclusive society. The second is direct cash transfers to people living in extreme poverty. Not only has research shown that those who receive direct aid greatly benefit from the money, it’s also shown that they use it locally, responsibly, and successfully. Sending regular, long-term cash contributions to people in need can have a big impact on reducing poverty. And we think it can be done from person to person, without relying on government improvements to social infrastructure, which is mostly non-existent in the world’s poorest countries. By directly sending cash to recipients, Social Income also circumvents the administrative costs that are unfortunately hard to avoid for NGOs.